On this day October 16th

Charlotte Brontë's novels have become classics of English literature.
Born: April 21, 1816 in Thornton, West Yorkshire, England but died at only 38 years old

First Faltering Steps of Jane Eyre
With hope, pride – and some subterfuge – Charlotte Brontë sent her hefty manuscript of Jane Eyre to publishers in London on August 15, 1847, then crossed her fingers.

On October 16th the book was published under the pen name of Currer Bell.

Lionel Messi Born: June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina is a famous football star who is often ranked as the best player in the world and rated by some in the sport as the greatest of all time. On this day in 2004 aged 17, he made his league debut for Barcelona against Espanyol
Ten years later in 2014, he led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup finals.

Great Storm of 1987: hurricane force winds to hit much of the South of England killing 23 people

1962 Cuban missile crisis begins as JFK becomes aware of missiles in Cuba

1978 Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla elected Pope John Paul II